“Today’s vote is a call to action for the legal community, including legislators and policy makers, and for active collaboration with leading NGO advocates to make sure victims don’t fall between the cracks of existing protections. Forced marriage is a serious form of abuse happening in the United States, and those who need help may have only one chance to reach out,” said Jeanne Smoot, Senior Counsel for Policy and Strategy at the Tahirih Justice Center.

Smoot drafted the forced marriage resolution and accompanying report, acting as a liaison to the ABA Commission from Tahirih and the National Network to Prevent Forced Marriage. Tahirih chairs the network, which has grown to nearly 400 members since Tahirih launched it in 2011.

The ABA’s resolution urges governments at all levels in the U.S. to amend existing laws, or to enact new laws, to prevent forced marriages and to protect individuals facing forced marriage threats. The ABA also called for collaboration with direct services and advocacy organizations with forced marriage expertise to develop victim-centered legal remedies, and to promote specialized training for judges, prosecutors, law enforcement, child protection authorities, victim-witness advocates, and attorneys.

Even before today’s vote, the resolution had garnered support from the ABA’s Center for Human Rights, Section of International Law, and Commission on Immigration, and many ABA members thanked the Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence for raising this important topic.

Tahirih’s Senior Counsel for Policy and Strategy issued this statement after the Florida Senate unanimously passed a historic bill to end child marriage in Florida. The bill must now be passed by the House of Representatives.